FAYETTEVILLE -- A planned expansion of a rock quarry west of Fayetteville failed to gain approval Thursday from the Washington County Planning Board.
The board voted 3-2 in favor of a motion to recommend approval of a conditional use permit to add about 107 acres to the Farmington Quarry operation at 15557 Hamestring Road.
The motion needed four affirmative votes to pass, according to Brian Lester, county attorney, which meant the permit application died and now must either be refiled with the county's Planning Department or the vote appealed to the Quorum Court.
The quarry is owned by the Rogers Group. Andrew Effinger, an attorney for the Rogers Group, said after the meeting the company will consider all its options but the expansion plans will be pursued.
The board had split on a motion to table the project, with three members in favor and three against. Board member Neil Helm said the county needed more time to consider the Farmington Quarry permit and he wanted to study what had happened in the two years since the county approved another quarry expansion for the Rogers Group for property east of Springdale. Helm said he is troubled that the complaints made by the neighbors of the Farmington Quarry echo concerns that were expressed about the Springdale project.
"It's the same song, second verse," Helm said, "and it bothers me that this has to happen."
The Farmington Quarry operation is surrounded by residential and agricultural property, according to the county Planning Department. Residents of the area, which is north of Wedington Drive, packed the Quorum Court meeting room to express their opposition to the planned expansion. More than 34 neighbors made written or verbal comments to the county in advance of Thursday's meeting, all opposing the expansion.
The general concerns from neighbors included reduced property values, noise, disruption of animal habitat, disruption of private gatherings on properties in the area, concerns about blasting operations in the quarry affecting housing structure integrity, traffic safety and congestion and environmental concerns.
Jennifer Baccellieri, one of the neighbors, said the current operation's rock blasting has terrorized children, pets and other animals in the area as well as caused physical damage to homes. She elaborated on her concerns in a email to the Planning Department.
"With the current placement of the mine's excavation, we already feel a deep negative impact every time they blow dynamite for their operation," Baccellieri wrote. "It shakes the entire house strongly, even at the current placement. We have to prepare our house for essentially an earthquake because the house rattles so strongly. We do not want this mine to move any closer to us, as it would greatly affect our quality of life here on our property, which is our right to enjoy without such violent shaking from our neighbor. We also have farm animals on our property and it is very disturbing to our flocks. When we wake up in the morning, the first thing we hear is the sound of trucks beeping, like a constant construction zone. Even though we are out in the country trying to enjoy a natural life, we are already making sacrifices to live next to this mine. We absolutely do not want them to move any closer to us and make life very difficult for us on our beautiful property."
Baccellieri told the board that property near the quarry currently serves as home to a faith-based community that advocates for organic farming, natural living and protecting nature.
"Our property represents 50 families who enjoy regularly visiting and participating in educational and spiritual events," she said. "We do not want a loud mine moving closer to us and disrupting our activities on the property."
Most of the neighbors offered similar complaints and concerns, likening the blasting operations at the quarry to earthquakes, detailing damage to homes and dangerous conditions created by 200 dump trucks a day driving on the narrow county road.
According to information submitted by the company, the quarry has been in operation for more than 20 years. The additional land "simply extends the life of the existing quarry and doesn't alter the existing impacts on the public."
According to the company's application, the expansion would "insure orderly development by supplying quality materials for the immediate area for the long term, eliminating the need for new quarries in the area."
"These materials need to be very close to the end users," Effinger said of the long-term need for quarries in Northwest Arkansas. He said the expansion would actually move the quarry operation away from many residents.
"We're moving further away from more people than we're moving closer to," he said.
Effinger said the company had agreed to the same terms that were approved for the quarry expansion near Springdale, including forming a neighborhood committee and hiring an independent ombudsman to monitor the operation and facilitate communication between the company and the neighbors in the event there are complaints.
"We'd like to get a vote on this," he told the board.
County zoning
Land in unincorporated Washington County is zoned for agricultural or single-family residential use. All other uses require the property owner to obtain a conditional use permit through the county’s planning process. The permits must be approved by the Washington County Planning Board and the Quorum Court.
Source: NWA Democrat-Gazette